Record Rainfall Causes Flash Floods in NY Suburbs

EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC HAZARDS
EXTREME RAIN EVENTS
SEVERE FLOODING
SCENARIOS 888, 023
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Up to 33cm of rain turns roads into rivers in New York Area

Record rainfall in parts of New York’s Long Island triggered severe flash floods turning roads into rivers during the morning rush hour on Wednesday.

Up to 33 cm of rain was recorded at MacArthur Airport in Islip over a 24-hour period, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) breaking the previous record of 29 cm that was set in August 2011 in the Hudson Valley during Tropical Storm Irene.

During a particularly intense two-hour period the area received “more than two months of rainfall in two hours,” said NWS.

The record rainfall contributed to at least one fatality.

Flooding shut down parts of major commuter routes and forced the closure of the Long Island Rail Road, the largest commuter railroad in the U.S.

Floodwaters reportedly destroyed a number of homes and caused sewage backup, forcing dozens of people to evacuate in southern New Jersey.

The same weather system was responsible for extreme rain events in Washington and Baltimore on Tuesday,  said NWS.

Earlier this week, at least one person died in Detroit floods after record rainfall.